Failed on front cross member corrosion (front strut bar below Rad?) . My machanic needs to know how he can get to it easily, does it involve removing the water rad and all the other rad's oil and aircon, or can they just be loosened and moved to one side? Also aprox how long will it take to get to the cross member as he can't give me a price on repair until he gets a rough idea?

Cheers.

OMFG just been through this :(

 

Replace it don't get it fixed! Its a major structural part of the car so just not worth bodging IMO! Front bumper off, both water tanks, ICs, intake pipes, Rad, oil cooler(s), all the plastic trim from the area, anything attached to the crossmember basically. You need a spot weld drill to remove it without causing any damage to the chassis rails. Cost of part (from memory) was £200+VAT but I could be wrong on that.

 

Hope that helps some...

 

CheerZ,

 

Andy

Good greif, did not think it was going to be that bad of a job! Would a second hand Jap spec cross member fit a UK car as it may be in better condition, or should I be looking at getting a new one?

Just get a new one - you have to virtually destroy them to get them off anyway so wouldn't be much use ;)

 

One point to note about those pictures is that I junked the aircon while I was at it - thats why you can see the engine lol. With the aircon condensor still in it does make the job a little harder though...